Buffalo shooting: At least 10 killed in supermarket attack in New York state

At least 10 people have been killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in the US city of Buffalo, New York state, the AP reported.

The gunman was reportedly detained after the attack on Saturday afternoon.

The exact number of people injured at Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue has yet to be confirmed.

The AP said they had been told by law enforcement officials that at least 10 had died.

The city’s mayor confirmed there are “multiple victims” and said the suspect traveled to the predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo for several hours by car.

The official who spoke to the AP added that investigators believe the man may have been livestreaming the shooting and are looking into whether he posted a manifesto online.

The official said investigations were in their early stages and while a clear motive had not yet emerged, they are looking into whether the shooting was racially motivated.

The Buffalo News said the attack was carried out by a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with a high-powered rifle.

One of the officials who spoke to AP said the gunman entered the supermarket with a rifle and opened fire. Witnesses have reported hearing dozens of shots.

SWAT teams rushed to the scene about 3 miles (5 km) north of downtown Buffalo.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on what happened, according to the White House.

Braedyn Kephart and Shane Hill, both 20, told the AP they entered the parking lot just as the shooter was trying to leave the scene.

They said he was a white male in his late teens or early twenties and was wearing a full camouflage suit, a black helmet and was carrying what appeared to be a rifle.

“He was standing there with the gun to his chin. We thought, what the hell is going on? Why does this guy have a gun to his face?” said Mr Kephart.

He added that they saw him fall to his knees. “He took off his helmet, dropped his gun and was accosted by police,” Kephart said.

Will G., a frozen dairy worker at Tops supermarket, told the Buffalo News he went into the refrigerated section to put milk on the shelves about three minutes before the shooting.

“I just heard gunshots. Gunshots and gunshots and gunshots,” he told the local newspaper. “It sounded like things were falling down.”

A law enforcement officer on the scene told the newspaper: “It’s like walking into a horror movie, but it’s all real. It’s like Armageddon. It’s so overwhelming.”

WBEN Radio News reported that Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, BPD Commissioner Joe Gramaglia and Erie County District Attorney John Flynn arrived at the scene.

A large police presence closed off the area north of Jefferson Avenue at Northampton Street, the Buffalo News reported.

Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted that she was “closely monitoring the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo,” her hometown.

She said state officials have said they will help local authorities.